I have decided to go back to USA for the summer…….

I have a one way ticket, so I can either stay there, or buy a one way ticket back to Thailand, or maybe Bali, or who knows, maybe I will finally make it to Australia!

I will spend the summer with my granddaughter, visiting with family, and continuing to work on my websites. I will see what roads unfold before me. It is quite an exhilarating experience knowing that new opportunities are going to open up for me. I haven’t been disappointed with life yet.

I have no definite plans for beyond the summer.

Since I am preparing to leave Thailand, and my home in Chiang Mai, for an undefined amount of time, I have decided to focus on what it is I enjoy about living here, so down the road when time may come to make a decision about my next step, I can look back and see why living here has been so special.

I think I would like to start it off with an overhead view of the beauty that is Chiang Mai, Thailand.

My son took this video on a recent Ultra Light Flight. I love this video, he did a great job with the music too. My son is a skydiver, and misses his jumps. He has a true adventurous spirit, just one aspect about my son that I really appreciate and marvel at.

It has been a real joy living with him here in Chiang Mai, and sharing his life. I have fallen in love with Pink, his wife, she is such a beautiful, sweet, intelligent, loving, patient, caring person, and I am so happy my son has her in his life.

Watching my granddaughter grow over these past 8 ½ months has been a real thrill as well as a joyous time for everyone. I am so happy that Pink is my granddaughter’s mother, she exceeds all expectations what you hope for in a Mother. Sean is also an excellent father, Abigail is in very good hands.

I have developed a very close friendship with Pink’s mom Sunee, despite the language barriers. She has been living with us since Abigail’s birth, and is very much involved with the day to day care of her. It is so wonderful watching how the Thai culture treats their children and babies. So much loving care and respect bestowed upon the young. No wonder Thai’s are such a peaceful people.

And then there are the dogs. Once again I have to say goodbye to Jake and Coco. I will even miss Peanut, our part time dog that we take care of when our neighbor leaves, which is about every other week, or more.

Besides the family I will be leaving, there is the beauty of our immediate living space, as well as in the city of Chiang Mai, which you will get a glimpse of in the video.

There is so much more, the culture, the people, the lifestyle, the peacefulness, the incredible sounds of the night, the many varied bird song’s throughout the day, the little geckos and their HUGE cousins the Tokay’s. All the different kind of bugs, some look so unique. Our butterfly tree is in bloom, and all of our butterflies are back.

I hope to be making new entries over the next couple of days as I take one last look at what has been my home for the past 2 ½ years.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this scenic ride over Chiang Mai.

Facebook Videos Posted by Sean Culver Adventures in the air [HQ]

Thailand is such a beautiful country, and the people and culture are amazing. No wonder Thailand is such a magnet for attracting people to visit, many decide the lifestyle here is too good to be true, and end up staying!

I have lived in Chiang Mai for the past 2 1/2 years, and each day is a marvel for me that I am living here. I hope to share some of the beauty and culture of Thailand with you through my photos.

I have many photos of Thailand, separated into different categories. Here is a menu of my Thailand galleries:

Bangkok

Bangkok, the Capitol of Thailand, is a huge, bustling city. A few random shots from my travels through Bangkok.

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand. The old city is surrounded by a moat, and is a very popular location for tourists. My favorite section is around Tai Pha Gate, great restaurants and stores, and many outdoor markets and events.

Monk March

March of the Monks in Chiang Mai in honor of the King. 11,500 monks participated, with over 150,000 people offering alms to the Monks, with the intent of the merit earned being credited to their beloved King.

Loy Krathong

Loy Krathong is an annual festival during the full moon phase in November. Thai’s celebrate for 4 days honoring the water Gods and thanking them for their abundance. Loy Krathongs are floated down the rivers, and the skies are filled with floating lanterns. Incredibly beautiful and joyous time in Thailand.

Flower Festival

Chiang Mai’s Annual Flower Festival in February is a 4 day celebration, with a parade of floats to rival the Rose Parade!

Buddha

Images of Buddha, some from Thailand, and a few from Laos.

Doi Inthanon

Doi Inthanon is one of Thailand’s many National Parks, it is also the highest mountain in Thailand.

Chiang Mai Zoo

Chiang Mai Zoo has around 400 species of animals spread across 200 acres on a hillside. Beautifully landscaped and designed, well worth a visit to see the inhabitants of this park.

Chiang Mai Night Safari

Chiang Mai Night Safari is one of my favorite places to go to view wild animals. The park is beautifully landscaped and a joy to walk through.

Koh Tao

Koh Tao, one of Thailand’s tropical island paradises, beautiful beaches, a great vacation spot!

Koh Samed

Koh Samed, one of my favorite islands in Thailand. Beautiful warm turquoise waters, white sandy beaches, friendly people. Highly recommended!

Since launching I have continued to add and change things a bit on my new site. While doing this I learned how to do a few new things.

Yesterday I spent 14 hours working on this site, my wallpaper by design,  applying what I had learned to one section, my sunsets. Whew, what a lot of work! But I think it was worth it. The way it works now is faster and better. I think.

If you have a moment, would you please visit the revised Sunsets page, and then answer a question so I know if I should set a goal of changing every Gallery to this style? You will find the poll at the bottom of the Sunsets page.

Thanks!

Hope you have a wonderful 2010!

If you are considering bringing a dog into your life (and I would highly recommend it!) consider adopting a dog from a local animal shelter. It has been my experience that you will find these dogs to be so full of love and gratitude when you adopt them and give them a loving home.

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Most of the Bali monkey photos are from the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, however there are a few from an area where the monkeys live by the side of the road.

In Thailand the monkey photos were taken at What Khao Lo.

Of course living in Thailand seasons are a bit different than I am use to, so they are not really outside my window anymore.

We are getting ready to go into winter here, which basically means the temperatures will not be higher than 80 degrees.

Having spent many years in Truckee, California in the cold, snowy winters, I miss the beauty of the season. I must admit I do not miss all the shoveling tho!

We didn’t have a fall here, we have been in rainy season, which isn’t as bad as it sounds! It rains a little bit everyday, and then the sun comes out. Temperatures run in the 90′s.  I miss the fall colors tho.

Springtime brings beautiful flowers, green grass, butterflies and a freshness to the air. Thailand is full of exotic flowers and plants all year round, which is beautiful, but the impact of spring blossoms is lost in the season.

April our summer will start here, and Thailand summers are very hot. Thinking maybe that will be a good time to make a visit back to America and catch the springtime!

When I think of summer, I think of warm, lazy days spent at the beach, enjoying the weather outdoors, going on vacation and visiting National Parks.

Be sure and visit the new section of Fantasy Wallpapers. You may find an image for your wallpaper that is quite different than the usual.

I will probably take a break from adding anything new to my site for awhile. In November I will be doing another Visa run, this time I think I will go to Malaysia for a few days. Perhaps I will find something interesting to capture with my camera then.

In the meantime, I will be busy taking photos of my newborn grandaughter, who arrived here on September 25.

I had flown into Bangkok the day before and checked into my favorite hotel in Bangkok, the Floral Shire Resort. The rooms are great, the price is incredibly affordable, the staff very friendly and helpful. They offer free Wi-fi, and have a restaurant on the premises. But the best service they offer is pick up and drop off at the airport at no additional charge.

I received my wake up call at 3:30 in the morning, by 4:00 I was in their van on my way to the airport.

Good thing too, because it did take a full 2 hours to get checked in and go through customs. By the time I made it to my gate they were calling for final boarding.

I had spent many hours researching Bali before my trip, trying to decide where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see while on this adventure.

I decided to begin my stay in Lovina, a coastal town on the north eastern side of Bali. I had chosen a hotel that offered pick up, at an additional charge of course, but traveling alone I felt the extra cost was worth the reassurance that I would not get lost my first day in Bali.

I was so thrilled when I had finally made it through customs, gathered my baggage, stepped out into the bright beautiful sunshine of Bali, and saw a friendly looking Bali gentleman standing there holding a placard with my name in big print!

Our destination was 3 hours away, which was exactly what I wanted, a chance to drive through the countryside and see Bali. So far so good, I was very happy with the choices I had made so far on my trip.

It was Saturday mid morning. The first thing I noticed while leaving the airport at Denpasar was all of the kites in the skies. Many different shapes and sizes and beautiful colors.

We drove through the city, and wound our way through small streets, winding our way across Bali through many little towns and villages. In between the populated areas were beautiful rice fields and jungles.

I was simply amazed with the beauty of the architecture of Bali. Everywhere you look your eyes are feasting on incredible beauty.

The traffic is very similar to Thailand, the traffic flows on the left, with many motorbikes and bicycles sharing the two lane road.

The pace was very slow and relaxed, not from congestion, but an unexplainable sense of respect and courtesy shared by all those traveling the road together. Which was great for me as it gave me a chance to really soak up the scenery.

We made three stops on our way to Lovina. The first stop was for lunch at a restaurant that overlooked rice fields.

The food was excellent, buffet style, very tasty, but quite expensive. The meal cost $10.00. Definitely the most expensive meal of my entire stay.

Our second stop was at a view point overlooking a lake.

But it wasn’t the lake I wanted to see, it was all of the monkeys!

The sides of the road were covered with monkeys. Vendors were selling bananas and peanuts to feed to the monkeys, which was a real delight for me!

The monkeys were very friendly, and would take the offerings directly from your hand. If anyone knows me, you would know that this was extremely  exciting for me!

I reluctantly said goodbye to the monkeys, and climbed back into the car to continue on our journey to Lovina.

We made one more stop along  the way, at a Temple and garden area at another lake.

When we finally arrived at our destination, the Adirama Beach Hotel, I was not disappointed with what I found.

The hotel is beautiful, the room very clean and comfortable, a beautiful inviting swimming pool, and the beach is at the doorstep just  beyond the bar and restaurant.

The staff was extremely friendly, and very welcoming.

There were two things I had planned for my stay in Lovina. One was a sunrise boat trip to watch the dolphins play, and the other was to go snorkeling in the beautiful waters of Bali.

In the evening, I caught a beautiful sunset.

Seeing as I am vegetarian, travel is always a little iffy about being able to find food I will eat. I had printed a list of vegetarian restraurants in Bali, just incase I needed it.

I was extremely happy to discover the hotel restaurant offered a nice selection of vegetarian meals, and at extremely reasonable prices. Dinner runs about $2.40 – $3.00.  Breakfast is included in the price of the room. When traveling on a shoestring budget like I do, it was nice to discover the food prices were so low.

I found that to be true everywhere in Bali that I went. Vegetarian food was abundant, offered at nearly every restaurant I passed (always stopped and perused the menu’s posted outside, if not to drool over them, to get an idea of general prices and options).

After enjoying a wonderful meal while overlooking the ocean at the hotel restaurant, I decided to call it a day and head to my room.

Before settling into my room and collpasing from the trip, I scheduled the sunrise boat trip for the following morning, figuring I was already on an early schedule, I would probably fall asleep easily and early that night, which would help me to get up at the crack of dawn.

More to come….

I dressed in my shorts and tank top, and was ready to head out and find my way in the dark to the back gate of the Adirama Hotel.  The gate leads to the beach where I was told I would be picked up for my Dolphin Watching Sunrise boat ride.

Half way to the door I had woken up enough to realize that maybe wearing shorts and a tank top out on the ocean this early in the morning might not be the best idea. I quickly changed into long pants and my warmest top, and headed out. Turns out I made the right decision on that one. Once I was out on the water I was comfortable, and knew I would have been a bit chilly in my shorts.

While standing there waiting, I pictured being on a boat full of other eager tourists riding on the ocean out to a point where we would park and wait for the Dolphins to come dance around our boat greeting us with their morning antics.

I imagined being able to walk around the boat, to get different shots of the Dolphins swimming and playing in the waters around our boat. As usual, I was quite excited about the photo opportunity.

It is funny how you picture something in your mind, and the reality turns out to be something completely different!

Our boat pulled up, and I climbed aboard a three passenger catamaran with one other couple, and we headed out to sea. I knew immediately my photo opportuinities were going to be more limited than I had fantasized.

The sunrise was beautiful, and being out on the ocean at that time of day was quite invigorating and exciting just by itself.

We were soon joined by a fleet of other catamarans, some carrying 8-10 passengers, other smaller ones like us, with only a few passengers aboard.

Together we all headed towards an unknown destination, searching for the Dolphins. Our captain yelled out “There!” while pointing towards the ocean on our left. A school of Dolphins were swimming, and diving, through the waters.

We never sat still, we were in constant motion, watching for the Dolphins. Each time a school was spotted, the boats would all converge on the spot where they had been seen.

I always enjoy seeing wildlife up close, this was my first time for Dolphins.

While I did enjoy that aspect of it, I began to get a sense of disruption, and did not feel comfortable with chasing the Dolphins.

I did manage to get one shot of the Dolphins.

On our way back to shore, we stopped at a point where the water was clear and we could look into the depths of the water and see the corral beneath us.

Our captain dropped some food into the water, and suddenly the ocean was alive with many brightly colored fish, darting about grabbing the bits of food as it drifted down through the water. We were each given a packet of food to drop in for the fish, and it really was quite exciting and beautiful to watch.

I had planned on two things while visiting Lovina, the Dolphin Sunrise boat trip, and snorkeling.

I had snorkeled once before while visiting the island of  Samed in Thailand with my son, and I had loved the experience.  Seeing the fish from the boat really whet my desire to try snorkeling again.

When disembarking from the boat, I made arrangements for the following day to go out snorkeling off the catamaran at 10:00 am. I had brought with me my underwater camera face mask, but that was it. The captain assured me he would have any other equipment I would need.

In the afternoon I decided to take a walk towards the center of town to check out the area.

Transportation is not a problem in Bali, as soon as you set foot to the sidewalk you are bombarded with offers for a ride. I wanted to walk though to be able to see the town up close and personal at my own pace.

While walking I passed a young Balinese girl around 12 years old, and she greeted me with the brightest smile and said “Hello!”. I smiled back and returned her hello and stopped for a moment. She asked me my name, and then I asked her for her name. She told me her name was “Nyoman, means third”.

Having read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat, Pray Love I understood what she meant. Balinese, according to Gilbert, name their children in the order that they are born. I understood that she was the third child of the family.

I met many Wayan’s on my trip, which means “firstborn” .

When she asked me where I was going, I knew she was not being nosy, but that in her culture it helps give a point of reference, a very common question,  one I was asked frequently by people I met on the streets.

I knew this question may come up, but I really hadn’t prepared an answer or given it much thought. I didn’t want to tell her I was roaming aimlessly with no destination in mind, so I told her I was headed to the market.

She smiled at me, seemingly happy with my answer, we said goodbye, and I continued on my way.

At one point a nice looking young Balinese gentleman pulled up beside me and offered a ride on his motorbike. I smiled but declined and continued my walk, admiring the architecture and enjoying the fields of crops in between the cluster of buildings.

Lovina grows tobacco, coffee, and rice. Palm trees dot the land, along with many other lush varities of vegetation.

I actually did end up at a market, and strolled through looking at the different foods and items they offered.

At this point I had been out for several hours, and was ready to head back to the hotel. Once again I was approached by the nice looking young man on a motor bike, and this time I accepted a ride back to my hotel. We chatted on the way, his name was Wayon, he had a wife and three children, all boys.

He offered his service for transportation if I wanted to see any of the local sights, and I decided to take him up on it for the following day. I told him I was interested in finding baby clothes, and he said he knew just the place to take me.

We made arrangements for him to pick me up the following day. Since I had snorkeling scheduled for the morning, he suggested 4:00, after it had cooled down in the day. This struck me funny, as I never did feel hot in Bali, the temperature was always perfectly comfortable, day and night. But I agreed to 4:00.

Back at my hotel I caught another beautiful sunset,

enjoyed another wonderful dinner at the hotel restaurant (how convenient is that?), and headed to bed early, still trying to catch up from my past two  mornings of early rising.

More to come….